Mazda 3 vs. Civic

mesaba · 02-13-2006, 02:57 PM

I'm looking at the 40door models of both and it's a tossup. The Mazda feels better around corners and accelerating, but unless you're ripping around a parking lot, how often do you REALLY do that? Both sets of instruments are pretty unique, but when I surf around it seems that sites like Edmunds, when they go head to head, find the Mazda 3 the overall winner.

They're both decent quality, they both look cool, they're about the same price, close enough mileage, Mazda wins on performance, Honda wins on safety when the Mazda has no side curtain airbags... it just seems like a complete tossup?

Can anyone help with the decision?

tylerzero · 02-13-2006, 03:05 PM

Since this is a Civic-enthusiast forum, don't expect the most objective responses.

Opt for the 5-door Mazda 3 and you're no longer comparing apples to apples (sedan vs sedan).

mesaba · 02-13-2006, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tylerzero

Since this is a Civic-enthusiast forum, don't expect the most objective responses.

Opt for the 5-door Mazda 3 and you're no longer comparing apples to apples (sedan vs sedan).

Yeah, but I figure somebody has to have started out like me - indecisive. I'm just looking at the sedans so they're pretty close in many ways.

Skyline · 02-13-2006, 03:21 PM

It depends what you want. Are you interested in the Civic Si, or just a D/L/EX?

If you're looking into the Si, then you can start comparing. Otherwise, it's just a matter of whether you're looking more for performance or economy/reliability.

*Reread your post, and it looks like you're not going for the Si, so just read the last sentence of my post and ignore the rest

*

mesaba · 02-13-2006, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyline

It depends what you want. Are you interested in the Civic Si, or just a D/L/EX?

If you're looking into the Si, then you can start comparing. Otherwise, it's just a matter of whether you're looking more for performance or economy/reliability.

*Reread your post, and it looks like you're not going for the Si, so just read the last sentence of my post and ignore the rest

*

The Mazda 3s and the Civic LX.

aki · 02-13-2006, 04:02 PM

Mazda 3 has a very firm suspension. It translates a lot more of the road, but frankly I think it's more uncomfortable for commuting than the Civic sedan.

Style-wise, I'd say it's better than the Civic, hands-down. The interior and exterior look less frumpy than the 8thgen. Manual trannies on Mazdas tend to be better than the standard non-Si trannies for Civic.

All-in-all, I'd prefer the Mazda 3 i Touring for a Civic LX. More power, better transmission, better cornering (if you can live with the ride), 4-wheel discs, Now between a Mazda 3 s Touring and an Si sedan, that'd be a diff matter all together.

aznives3 · 02-13-2006, 04:43 PM

i was also in the same boat as you, for a "sporty" type of ride and i was stuck with a mazda 3 sport. I ended up with the civic ex coupe which i think was alot nicer imo than the mazda 3,even though the 3's interior is pretty nice i must say. But for the 4 door civic, i still think with either choice you can't go wrong, but in the long run the civic is still a honda, and i would say thats a good thing

.....go for the civic!

Kroze · 02-13-2006, 05:05 PM

get the mazda 3

OblivionJin · 02-13-2006, 07:12 PM

I would get the mazda 3 5 door. I think it looks awesome inside and out, though I never actually test drove one. Plus, you get to be more unique and not just another guy with a civic. However, the only reason I didn't get the 3 was cause of Mazda's history of reliability issues.

***Gone*** · 02-14-2006, 12:44 AM

My last car was a Mazda Protege, but I have driven plenty of Mazda3's and in comparison I think the 2006 Civic is better... then again, Mazda doesn't currently have a competitor for the Si though, which is what I own...

watice · 02-14-2006, 12:59 AM

I had a 06 Civic EX.. Wrecked it.. Got the 2005 Mazda3 as a rental. To be honest, I couldn't WAIT to return the Mazda. I hated it. I thought it did outperform the civic, but I just liked the civic feel a lot more. Felt a lot more precise and high tech. I guess it's up to you and what you like. BTW, I'm back in a new Civic.

aznives3 · 02-14-2006, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 06GGLX

I would get the mazda 3 5 door. I think it looks awesome inside and out, though I never actually test drove one. Plus, you get to be more unique and not just another guy with a civic. However, the only reason I didn't get the 3 was cause of Mazda's history of reliability issues.

right now im leading myself to believe that theres too many mazda 3's out there compared to new civics...i know its early and everything but, the civics looks are QUESTIONABLE, and i think that alot of people are buying into mazda now so don't think that your gunna be more "unique" if you get a 3. just my 2 cents

OblivionJin · 02-14-2006, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aznives3

right now im leading myself to believe that theres too many mazda 3's out there compared to new civics...i know its early and everything but, the civics looks are QUESTIONABLE, and i think that alot of people are buying into mazda now so don't think that your gunna be more "unique" if you get a 3. just my 2 cents

Yah I get where you're coming from. But it's only been 6 months or so since the civic has been released and civics are gonna sell like hotcakes anyways, honda reliability with middle class pricing, regardless of a redesign or not. I think it's just a matter of time before the 8th gens rule the streets like their predecessors. Probably when the summer clearance is over is when we'll start seeing signs of that.

aki · 02-14-2006, 12:49 PM

January Civic sales for 2006 were higher than sales from any other year in January. Trust me, there will be more Civics than Mazda 3s on the road.

mesaba · 02-14-2006, 12:57 PM

I'm more in it for value and ride and things like that, I don't care much if a car is unique or not.

aki · 02-14-2006, 01:34 PM

Test drive both. See what you like. If u can live with the harsher ride of the Mazda I say go for that

ValCivic · 02-14-2006, 07:41 PM

I had the same decision to make. I found if you really compare like to like features, the Civic wins (at least for me).

Most 3s have the larger engine 2.3L engine which gets 7 mpg worse mileage than the Civic, a BIG factor for me. Once I started adding the 5 speed auto tranny, side airbags, ABS to the 3, it became pricier than the Civic, plus I liked the somewhat softer ride. My next choice was a Camry

In the end the mileage and proven Honda reliability (I have a 7 gen w 80k) won out. This car's a great freeway cruiser, and still fun on the mountain roads.

John2009 · 02-15-2006, 08:34 AM

Believe both are good cars. The Civic gets a bit better fuel economy. Have you sat in a Mazda yet? I went to look at one and I couldn't put my foot on the gas without banging my shin on the console piece that runs up to the dashboard. That was a deal breaker for me, didn't even drive it.

If it gets close, what's the rep of the Honda vs Mazda dealer(s) in your area?

***Jrfish007*** · 02-15-2006, 09:01 AM

For me it's not that hard... my next car will be a civic DX. The civic comes with ABS, I live where it snows and have had to use ABS a few time to save my rear end. On the Mazda 3 (like most other Fords) ABS is optional on the low model (which is already about $500 more). So you have to pay an extra $400 for the ABS, side curtain and something else I forget because it's all packaged together. So now we are at $900 above the civic, but wait, to get the ABS and all that you HAVE to have air conditioning (something I just don't need, so I don't want to pay for) and that's $800. Now the Mazada 3 is $1700 more than the civic, just because I wanted ABS (something the civic comes with standard), no comparison for me. Just FYI, but Toyota does the same thing with the Corrola, Honda is the only one to offer ABS standard on their low end cars.

aznives3 · 02-15-2006, 07:39 PM

i couldn't believe it but in my local newspaper here, theres a mazda page EVERY day, and each time it says that the 2L engines in the mazda 3's are getting 46 mpg...yep thats right....46.

02-13-2006, 02:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
mesaba Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Age: 39 Posts: 29 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Mazda 3 vs. Civic I'm looking at the 40door models of both and it's a tossup. The Mazda feels better around corners and accelerating, but unless you're ripping around a parking lot, how often do you REALLY do that? Both sets of instruments are pretty unique, but when I surf around it seems that sites like Edmunds, when they go head to head, find the Mazda 3 the overall winner. They're both decent quality, they both look cool, they're about the same price, close enough mileage, Mazda wins on performance, Honda wins on safety when the Mazda has no side curtain airbags... it just seems like a complete tossup? Can anyone help with the decision?

02-14-2006, 12:44 AM	#10 (permalink)
*Gone* Go BUCKS! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Columbus, Ohio Age: 26 Posts: 820 Andy iTrader: 4 / 100%	My last car was a Mazda Protege, but I have driven plenty of Mazda3's and in comparison I think the 2006 Civic is better... then again, Mazda doesn't currently have a competitor for the Si though, which is what I own... __________________

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02-13-2006, 03:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
tylerzero Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Age: 9 Posts: 99 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Since this is a Civic-enthusiast forum, don't expect the most objective responses. Opt for the 5-door Mazda 3 and you're no longer comparing apples to apples (sedan vs sedan).

02-13-2006, 03:21 PM	#4 (permalink)
Skyline Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hermitage, TN Age: 27 Posts: 407 iTrader: 0 / 0%	It depends what you want. Are you interested in the Civic Si, or just a D/L/EX? If you're looking into the Si, then you can start comparing. Otherwise, it's just a matter of whether you're looking more for performance or economy/reliability. Reread your post, and it looks like you're not going for the Si, so just read the last sentence of my post and ignore the rest

02-13-2006, 04:02 PM	#6 (permalink)
aki Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: tehインターウェブ Age: 29 Posts: 4,706 Resident Si Sedan Hater iTrader: 6 / 100%	Mazda 3 has a very firm suspension. It translates a lot more of the road, but frankly I think it's more uncomfortable for commuting than the Civic sedan. Style-wise, I'd say it's better than the Civic, hands-down. The interior and exterior look less frumpy than the 8thgen. Manual trannies on Mazdas tend to be better than the standard non-Si trannies for Civic. All-in-all, I'd prefer the Mazda 3 i Touring for a Civic LX. More power, better transmission, better cornering (if you can live with the ride), 4-wheel discs, Now between a Mazda 3 s Touring and an Si sedan, that'd be a diff matter all together.

02-13-2006, 04:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
aznives3 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Edmonton, Alberta Age: 20 Posts: 546 iTrader: 1 / 100%	i was also in the same boat as you, for a "sporty" type of ride and i was stuck with a mazda 3 sport. I ended up with the civic ex coupe which i think was alot nicer imo than the mazda 3,even though the 3's interior is pretty nice i must say. But for the 4 door civic, i still think with either choice you can't go wrong, but in the long run the civic is still a honda, and i would say thats a good thing .....go for the civic!

02-13-2006, 05:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
Kroze Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 661 iTrader: 0 / 0%	get the mazda 3

02-13-2006, 07:12 PM	#9 (permalink)
OblivionJin Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: SF, CA Posts: 718 iTrader: 0 / 0%	I would get the mazda 3 5 door. I think it looks awesome inside and out, though I never actually test drove one. Plus, you get to be more unique and not just another guy with a civic. However, the only reason I didn't get the 3 was cause of Mazda's history of reliability issues.

02-14-2006, 12:59 AM	#11 (permalink)
watice Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Queens, NYC Age: 23 Posts: 139 Frank iTrader: 0 / 0%	I had a 06 Civic EX.. Wrecked it.. Got the 2005 Mazda3 as a rental. To be honest, I couldn't WAIT to return the Mazda. I hated it. I thought it did outperform the civic, but I just liked the civic feel a lot more. Felt a lot more precise and high tech. I guess it's up to you and what you like. BTW, I'm back in a new Civic.

02-14-2006, 12:49 PM	#14 (permalink)
aki Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: tehインターウェブ Age: 29 Posts: 4,706 Resident Si Sedan Hater iTrader: 6 / 100%	January Civic sales for 2006 were higher than sales from any other year in January. Trust me, there will be more Civics than Mazda 3s on the road.

02-14-2006, 12:57 PM	#15 (permalink)
mesaba Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Age: 39 Posts: 29 iTrader: 0 / 0%	I'm more in it for value and ride and things like that, I don't care much if a car is unique or not.

02-14-2006, 01:34 PM	#16 (permalink)
aki Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: tehインターウェブ Age: 29 Posts: 4,706 Resident Si Sedan Hater iTrader: 6 / 100%	Test drive both. See what you like. If u can live with the harsher ride of the Mazda I say go for that

02-14-2006, 07:41 PM	#17 (permalink)
ValCivic Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: LA Area Age: 61 Posts: 45 iTrader: 0 / 0%	I had the same decision to make. I found if you really compare like to like features, the Civic wins (at least for me). Most 3s have the larger engine 2.3L engine which gets 7 mpg worse mileage than the Civic, a BIG factor for me. Once I started adding the 5 speed auto tranny, side airbags, ABS to the 3, it became pricier than the Civic, plus I liked the somewhat softer ride. My next choice was a Camry In the end the mileage and proven Honda reliability (I have a 7 gen w 80k) won out. This car's a great freeway cruiser, and still fun on the mountain roads.

02-15-2006, 08:34 AM	#18 (permalink)
John2009 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Age: 52 Posts: 213 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Believe both are good cars. The Civic gets a bit better fuel economy. Have you sat in a Mazda yet? I went to look at one and I couldn't put my foot on the gas without banging my shin on the console piece that runs up to the dashboard. That was a deal breaker for me, didn't even drive it. If it gets close, what's the rep of the Honda vs Mazda dealer(s) in your area?

02-15-2006, 09:01 AM	#19 (permalink)
*Jrfish007* STIG: a tamed race driver Join Date: Sep 2005 Age: 28 Posts: 1,631 iTrader: 1 / 100%	For me it's not that hard... my next car will be a civic DX. The civic comes with ABS, I live where it snows and have had to use ABS a few time to save my rear end. On the Mazda 3 (like most other Fords) ABS is optional on the low model (which is already about $500 more). So you have to pay an extra $400 for the ABS, side curtain and something else I forget because it's all packaged together. So now we are at $900 above the civic, but wait, to get the ABS and all that you HAVE to have air conditioning (something I just don't need, so I don't want to pay for) and that's $800. Now the Mazada 3 is $1700 more than the civic, just because I wanted ABS (something the civic comes with standard), no comparison for me. Just FYI, but Toyota does the same thing with the Corrola, Honda is the only one to offer ABS standard on their low end cars.

02-15-2006, 07:39 PM	#20 (permalink)
aznives3 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Edmonton, Alberta Age: 20 Posts: 546 iTrader: 1 / 100%	i couldn't believe it but in my local newspaper here, theres a mazda page EVERY day, and each time it says that the 2L engines in the mazda 3's are getting 46 mpg...yep thats right....46.